Firefighter&#39;s safety kit

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for assisting a firefighter in descending from an elevated position comprises a bag having a permanently closed end and an open end selectively secured by a pair of snaps. A length of rope has one end secured to a first loop permanently attached to the inside of the bag at the permanently closed end and the other end secured to a carabineer. A second loop has opposite ends affixed in spaced relation to the exterior of the bag at the permanently closed end. The bag, with the rope and carabineer disposed therein, may be carried on a harness worn by the firefighter by passing the second loop around an exposed portion of the harness and passing the bag through the loop. Alternatively, the bag may be carried in a bunker pants pocket of the firefighter&#39;s protective clothing with the second loop extending through the open, upper end of the pocket and draped outside thereof. When it is necessary for the firefighter to descend, the carabineer is hooked to any available anchor at the elevated position and the rope is used to assist in the descent. The apparatus may also be used as a tag/search line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to safety equipment forfirefighters and, more specifically, to a rope with associated bag andattachment means for uses such as descent from an elevated position andfor providing a tag/search line.

[0002] Firefighters often encounter the need to descend from an elevatedposition without availability of a ladder or other such device. In suchinstances, a rope may be anchored at or near the elevated position andused to assist descent. An object of the present invention is to provideapparatus for containing and protecting such a descent rope, and forattaching the rope to the container and carrying the container in orupon the firefighter's clothing in an unobtrusive manner, permittingeasy and rapid deployment and use of the rope.

[0003] Another frequent safety precaution used by firefighters is thetag or search line. One end of such a line is placed in a safe area asthe firefighter proceeds, together with the other end of the line intoan area which is or may become involved in the fire. It is a furtherobject to provide a convenient safety kit including a tag/search linewhich is fed by gravity from a pouch as a firefighter proceeds into adangerous area.

[0004] Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appearhereinafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is envisioned that the rope would provide a means of descentfrom heights up to, for example, 40 to 50 feet. The rope is secured(tied) at one end to anchoring means such as a carabineer, of the typeused in mountain climbing, and is similarly secured at the other end toa loop which is securely fastened to the inside of a pouch or bag whichcontains the rope prior to deployment. The bag has a closed end, whereinthe rope-attachment loop is preferably secured, and an open end which isclosed by releasable fastening means, such as a pair of snaps. A largerloop, i.e., a strip of material affixed at both ends to the bag,preferably the outside of the closed end, may be used to secure the bagto conventional harness worn by the firefighter, or may be drapedoutside a pocket on the outside leg of pants worn by the firefighter, toprovide in either case rapid access to the bag and its contents, i.e.,the rope and carabineer. When the bag is opened and the carabineerfastened to a suitable structure at the elevated position, the bag mayremain attached to the harness or allowed to fall from the elevatedposition. In either case, the rope is fed from the pouch withoutbecoming tangled and the firefighter may use the rope to effect a rapidand safe descent.

[0006] The same apparatus may be used without structural modificationfor other safety purposes such as a tag/search line. By releasing onlyone of the snaps, the rope is fed by gravity from the pouch as thefirefighter proceeds into areas involved in the fire, while the free endof the rope, i.e., the end attached to the carabineer, remains in anaccessible area.

[0007] The foregoing and other features of the invention will be morereadily understood and fully appreciated from the following detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a side view of a firefighter with the apparatus of theinvention carried in a first location;

[0009]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, side view showing a portion of theapparatus of the invention extending from a pocket wherein the apparatusis carried in a second position;

[0010]FIG. 2a is a fragmentary side view showing an alternative forattaching the present invention to bunker pants;

[0011]FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are fragmentary, elevational views showingvarious features of the apparatus; and

[0012]FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a firefighter and a fragmentof a burning building having an elevated balcony from which thefirefighter has descended using the apparatus of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Firefighter 10 is shown in FIG. 1 dressed in typical protectiveclothing and accessories, including belt 12 forming a portion of aconventional harness, such as that commonly termed SCBA harness, andbunker pants pocket 14. Loop 16 is formed by a strip of material havingopposite ends 18 and 20 permanently affixed, e.g., by stitching, tospaced positions on bag 22. In FIG. 1, bag 22 is carried by firefighter10 by passing loop 16 behind belt 12 and passing bag 22 through theclosed end of loop 16, whereas in FIG. 2 the bag is placed inside bunkerpants pocket 14 with loop 16 extending through the open, upper end ofthe pocket and draped on the outside. Finally, bag 22 may be providedwith a strap 23 extending from one end thereof, and a D-ring 25 stitchedto its Free end with a carabineer 32 anchoring bag 22 to a fireman'sbunker pants (see FIG. 2a). In any of these cases, bag 22 isunobtrusively positioned and would not limit in any way thefirefighter's freedom of motion.

[0014] Bag 22 is seen in greater detail in FIGS. 3-5. When suspendedfrom belt 12 by means of loop 16, the upper end 24 of bag 22 is closedand the lower end 26 is open, but releasably held in a closed positionby snaps 28. A length of rope 30 is disposed within bag 22 and issecurely fastened at one end to conventional carabineer 32 and at theother end to small loop 34 within bag 22 at closed end 24. Whenfirefighter 10 finds it necessary to descend from an elevated position,snaps 28 are separated, allowing carabineer 32 to fall from or otherwisebe accessible through open end 26 of bag 22. If bag 22 is attached vialoop 16 to harness belt 12, snaps 28 are separated, and carabineer 32falls from bag 22, together with rope 30, and is grasped by thefirefighter. If bag 22 is carried in pants pocket 14, loop 16 isgrasped, bag 22 removed from the pocket, snaps 28 are separated andcarabineer 32 is grasped as before. Carabineer 32 is snapped over anyavailable anchoring means at or near the elevated position, such asrailing 36 in the example shown in FIG. 6. If bag 22 is attached to belt12, firefighter 10 may use rope 30 as an aid in descending from theelevated position, removing bag 22 from its temporary attachment to belt12 after reaching the lower position. If bag 22 is initially carried inpocket 14, after carabineer 32 is secured, bag 22 may be thrown ordropped from the elevated position and rope 30 will pay out of thefalling bag and be available for use by the firefighter in descending tothe lower position, without necessity of removing the bag from theharness or other equipment, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 6.

[0015] Although the length of rope 30 is not a limiting factor, it isenvisioned that the apparatus of the invention may be provided inseveral sizes with different lengths of rope. It is also to be notedthat the apparatus of the invention may provide uses other thanassisting in descent from an elevated position. Rope 30 may provide atag/search line, preferably while attached to the harness with open end26 of bag 22 facing downwardly, and placing carabineer 32 in anaccessible area as the firefighter proceeds into areas filled with smokeor otherwise involved in the fire. By releasing only one of snaps 28,rope 30 will slowly feed from bag 22 by gravity as the firefighter movesaway from the free end. Also, the firefighter may hold carabineer 32 andthrow bag 22 toward a desired location with rope 30 feeding out of thebag without tangling, thereby establishing a tag/search line.

What is claimed is:
 1. Apparatus for assisting a firefighter indescending from an elevated position to a lower position, saidfirefighter wearing protective clothing and equipment including at leastone of a harness having at least a portion exposed exteriorly of allother clothing, and an exterior pocket, said apparatus comprising: a) abag having a permanently closed end and an open end with selectivelyreleasable closure means; b) a length of rope having first and secondends; c) a first loop secured within said bag, said first end of saidrope being secured to said first loop; d) hook means to which saidsecond end of said rope is secured; and e) a second loop having oppositeends secured to said bag.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein saidsecond loop opposite ends are secured to the exterior of said bagsubstantially at said permanently closed end.
 3. The apparatus of claim2 wherein said second loop has a length sufficient to extend outsidesaid exterior pocket when said bag is disposed within said exteriorpocket.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said second loop has alength sufficient to pass around said exposed portion of said harnessand permit passage of said bag through said second loop for temporaryattachment of said bag to said clothing and equipment.
 5. The apparatusof claim 1 wherein said hook means comprises a carabineer.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said first loop is secured within said bagsubstantially at said permanently closed end.
 7. The apparatus of claim1 wherein said selectively releasable closure means comprise at leastone snap.
 8. A firefighter's safety kit comprising: a) a length of ropehaving first and second ends; b) a carabineer to which said first end ofsaid rope is secured; c) a bag having a closed end and an open end; d) apair of snaps secured to said bag for releasably closing said open end;e) a first loop within and permanently attached to said bag, said secondend of said rope being secured to said first loop; and f) a second loopcomprising a strip of flexible material attached at opposite ends tosaid bag.
 9. The safety kit of claim 8 wherein said first loop isattached to the interior of said bag adjacent said closed end.
 10. Thesafety kit of claim 9 wherein said second loop is attached to theexterior of said bag adjacent said closed end.